Lap dance extortion case in court

SUNLAND PARK, N.M. (AP) - A Sunland Park mayoral candidate and a city manager, accused in a plot to secretly record another candidate getting a lap dance , are slated Monday to make their first court appearances following their arrests on extortion charges, and authorities said they are looking for two more city employees.

Mayoral candidate Daniel Salinas, 29, and City Manager Jaime Aguilera, 61, are scheduled to appear in Dona Ana County judicial district courthouse after a state police investigation connected the secret digital video to them. The pair was arrested Saturday in connection with an investigation into a secret recording of mayoral candidate Gerardo Hernandez.

Hernandez said that an unidentified man had threatened to blackmail him with a video of Hernandez getting a lap dance from a woman if he didn't withdraw from the race. Hernandez maintains he was set up when an unidentified woman began to dance topless before him in a campaign office. He said he didn't know the incident was being recorded.

Salinas and Aguilera were arrested Saturday on extortion and other charges. The two remained jailed at the Dona Ana County Correctional Center, each on $50,000 cash-only bond.

Video posted online showed supporters outside of the home of Salinas chanting his name and yelling "Viva Salinas!" as he was being led away in handcuffs.

In addition, Dona Ana District Attorney Amy Orlando says authorities are searching for two more city employees who face charges in connection to the probe.

Orlando, said city-works director, Dario Hernandez, and a city Human Resources temp, Martah Alonda Lozano are facing charges of conspiracy and tampering with evidence.

According to an arrest affidavit, when police stormed Sunland Park City Hall on Tuesday Dario Hernandez told Aguilera: "They are coming, get rid of the video."

The affidavit also points out that police confiscated Aguilera's computer during the search, and found the video of Gerardo Hernandez with the topless woman was being manipulated with editing software.

The affidavit said Lozano ran into the mayor's office, locked the door, then ran out the back of the building during the search. Police said when they were able to get inside of the mayor's office, the desk was disheveled, with computer cables exposed, and it appeared one or more computers had been removed.

A KVIA-TV crew reported (http://bit.ly/w3t5WY) seeing Lozano showing potential voters the topless-dance video.

"We wanted to show this video to the community because we want the residents to be aware of who it is that's seeking to represent them," Lozano told the station.